14 TBi% BLUE BI8D

said the Princess* * Have I not been your prisoner those two
years, and who have I seen excopt the gaolers «ont by yon ? *

While she spoke the Queen and Turritolla were looking at her
in the greatest surprise, perfectly dolled by her beauty and the
splendour of her jewels, and the Quoon said ;

'If one may ask, Madam, where did yon get at! the»e
diamonds ? Perhaps you mean to toll me that you have discovered
a mine of them in the tower I *

* I certainly did find thorn here,* an«wered thn Princes**

*And pray,* said the Queen, her wrath increasing tweiy
moment, * for whose admiration arc you docked out !ik<? thin, *ittoa
I have often aeon you not half as fine o# the mottt important uccfc-
sions at Court ?'

' For my own,' answered Fiordoli»a, * You nmai admit that I
have had plenty of time on my hands, HO yon t-aunot be aurpriwHi
at my spending some of it in making myttolf mtiart/

' That'H all very fine/ said the Queon MUHpiciounly- * I think 1
will look about, and BOO for myatilf.*

So she and Turritolla began to iioareh every wwnw of tim little
room, and when they cuma to the straw nmttroHH out foil *»ach *
quantity of pearls, diamonds, rubiefl, opaln, onioraMn, and aapphirei,
that they wero aiaazod, and could not toll what to think* But tho
Queen resolved to hide somewhere a packet of ikluo Jotters U> prove
that the PrincoRa had been conspiring with the King'* cnorniM,
and she chose the chimney as a good place* Fortunately for Fior-
delis* this was exactly where the Blue Bird had perched htmnolf,
to keep an eye upon her proceeding^ and try to avert danger from
his beloved Princess, and now he cried:

4 Beware, Fiordeliaa! Your false eneroy is plotting *gain«t
you/

This strange voice so frightened the Queen that she took !h«
Utter and went away hastily with TurriUlla, and th»y held *
ootmoil to try and devise some means of finding out what Fairy or
Enchanter was favouring the Princeas, At last thoy sent on« of
the Queen^a maids to wait upon Fiordelisa, and told bar to pretend
to be quite stupid, and to flee and hew? nothing, whilt sho WAS rtmlly
to watch the Princess day and night, and keep the Qtiocn informed
of all her doings.

Poor FiordeHna, who guessed she was sent M a spy, wi« In
despair, and cried bitterly that she dared not we her dear Blu* Bird
for fear that some evil might happen to him i/h« wert ditoovwtd.